Singing starling
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Aplonis cantoroides

The singing starling (Aplonis cantoroides ) is a medium-sized (20 cm in length) starling.

Appearance

Adult singing starlings have glossy black plumage and bright red irises. Immature birds are paler, with streaked underparts and brown irises. They are distinguished from metallic starlings by shorter, square tails and thicker bills.

Distribution

Geography

Singing starlings are found in New Guinea and some adjacent islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, Admiralty Islands and Solomon Islands. They have been recorded from Boigu and Saibai Islands, Queensland, Australian territory in north-western Torres Strait. They inhabit forest edges, gardens and cultivated areas with trees, urban areas and coconut groves.

Diet and Nutrition

They eat figs and other soft fruits, and sometimes insects.

Mating Habits

They nest in tree-hollows, cliffs and buildings, often colonially, laying 2-3 pale blue eggs.

Population

Conservation

As a species with a large range and no evidence of population decline, it is assessed as being of Least Concern.

References

1. Singing starling Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_starling
2. Singing starling on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22710525/131957945

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